Table top



17 7 INVENTOR,

TABLE To? Filed May 29, 19

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H HHII llllllll II I l m Patented Sept. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TABLE TOP Stephen Ciprus, Lakewood, Ohio Application May 29, 1936, Serial No. 82,557

9 Claims.

My invention relates to table tops, and more An object of my invention is to provide a sectional table top adapted to enlarge the top of a table.

. Another object is to provide an auxiliary table top made up of sections which may be detachably mounted to a table.

.Another object is to provide an auxiliary table top made up of sections extending from the peripheral portion of the top of a table.

A still further object is to provide means for joining section members composing an auxiliary table top together.

,Another object is to provide means for supporting section members composing an auxiliary table top extending from the top of a table.

Another object is to provide sectional mem-. bers for substantially enlarging the top of a tablewithout substantially covering the top of thetable.

. A still further object is to provide a sectional table top adapted to change a rectangular top of a table into a round table top.

A further object is to provide section members toform an auxiliary table top out of a strip of material without substantial waste of the materialr Other objects and a fuller understanding may behad by referring to the following description, and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which: I

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my auxiliary table top in position;

Figure2 is a detailed view of one section mem: ber;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the section member taken along the line 33 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side view of a joining or holding member; i

- Figure 5 is a plan View of the illustration in Figure 4; l i

Figure 6 illustrates the mounting of the joining or holding member; v Figure '7 illustrates the assembling of the part and is a view looking up at the bottom of the assembled parts in Figure 1; and

Figure 8 illustrates the method of stamping the section members from a strip of material, the parallel vertical edges defining the strip of material.

Iteferring to my drawing, I show a conventional square table having the top H, the four legs I2, and the edge beam I3.

Four similarly formed section members l4, l5, l6, and ll are provided which, when properly joined and mounted, fit upon the top of the table II so as to enlarge the top surface of the table. As the section members are similar in form, the construction of section member I5 is described in detail.

For use in holding chips, glasses, and the like, I provide the countersink or pressed-in portions 18, which form receptacles. As I prefer to make the section members out of light metal, I provide a series of pressed ribs l9 which extend along the section member. These ribs l9 afford rigidity and strength to the section member.

The outer peripheral portion of the section member is bent down and around to form the peripheral flange 20 which gives strength to the section member and adds to the appearance of the assembled members.

At one end of the section member, I form the flange portion 2| by bending the edge of the section member downwardly, and at the other end of the section member, I form the flange mem: ber 22 by likewise bending down the edge of the section member. The flange portions 2| and 22 at the junction between the several section members abut each other so as to form a firm and se-- cure meeting of the section members at their adjoining ends. i

By referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3, i the form of the flange portions 2! and 22 is seen. To prevent the flange portions from sliding or moving parallel to each other, I provide in flange portion 2| a boss or projection 23 and in flange portion 22, I provide a recess or opening 24. Upon the assembling of the similar section members, I4, l5, l6 and H, the flange portion 2| of one section member abuts the flange portion 22 of the adjoining section member, and the boss 23 engages in the recess 24 of the adjoining section member. The close abutting of the flange portion and the registering of the bosses in the recesses aid in holding the section members in proper position, so that one section member will not tip up and down upon the table relative to the other section members.

In order to prevent the section members from moving longitudinally away from each other, to hold them in proper position, and to aid in the support of the said section members, I provide four longitudinal holding members 25. The construction and function of the holding members 25 is more clearly seen by referring to Figures 4,

5, and 6. Each holding member 25 is formed in a U-shape so as to have two portions extending parallel with each other with a recess 26 between them. The recess 26 is of a width suflicient to hold the abutting flanged portions 2| and 22 snugly within it.

As the bosses and recesses 23 and 24 project from the flange portions 2i and 22, I cut down the inner end of the longitudinal joining portion and bend the upright portion outwardly to form the wing portion 29. In this manner, the projecting of the bosses and recesses does not prevent the snug engagement of the flange portions 24 and 22 within the recesses 26 of the longitudinal joining member 25. The wing portion 29 also provides ready means for holding the joining member 25 while assembling.

The inner end of the holding or joining member 25 is split and the side portion bent outwardly to form the portion 21. A U-shaped member 3b is riveted to the portion 21 by means of the rivets 23. The U- haped member 30 is bent down and around in a manner so as to be in proper shape to embrace the side beams l3 of the table. One end of the U-shaped member 30 is bent down upon itself, and has a threaded opening therein. The screw bolt 32 is threadably engaged in the opening of the member 39 and it is seen that the combination of the member 30 and the screw bolt 32 forms a clamp for clamping the joining member 25 to the side beam l3 oi the table. The doubling over of the portions 3i aifords additional thread room for engaging the screw bolt 32. The inner end of the member 259 is tapered up toward the screw bolt thus concentrating the force of the screw bolt turned against the side beam l3.

The assembling of the several parts, so as to mount the section members upon the top of the table 6!, is illustrated in Figure 7. The four section members l4, l5, l6 and I? are placed face down upon the floor in proper position as shown. The flange portions 24 and 22 are placed in proper abutting position and the bosses 23 registered in the adjoining recesses 24. The table II is then placed up side down upon the assembled section members so as to be centrally located thereon. It is seen that a small part of the inner portion of the section members overlaps so as to engage the peripheral portions of the top of the table ii.

The longitudinal joining members 25 are then placed in position so that the flanged portions abutting each other are slid into the recess 26 of the joining member 25, thus holding the section members from lateral disengagement. The member 36 fits over and embraces the side beam l3 of the table. To securely fasten the member 30 to the side beam i3, the screw bolt 32 is turned inwardly, thus securely clamping the joining member 25 to the table I l. The joining members 25 are similarly mounted at each junction between the section members, thus binding all four section members together and to the table.

The table H and the assembled section members mounted thereon is then turned over into upright position. As the flange portions snugly fit into the recess of the joining members 25, the section members will be held in proper position during the turning of the table into upright position. The holding members extending outwardly from the table, not only act to bind the section members together, but also act as supports for holding the section members in proper elevation. Thus, the member 25 clamped to the table is a supporting member as well as a joining member.

In making my auxiliary table top, I prefer to stamp the parts out of a light weight metal or mold them of composition material. The shape of the section members adapt themselves for economical manufacture, as it is seen in Figure 8 that the section members may be stamped from a strip of material with a minimum of waste as the arms of the section members closely interlock. The ribs I 9 and the counter-sinks l8 are pressed in the usual manner and the several flanges form by bending or pressing the edges of the section members. The joining members 25 are likewise preferably stamped and pressed out of light weight material and formed in the usual manner.

It is understood from the drawing and from the foregoing, that my auxiliary table top is very easily mounted and dismounted, and that when dismounted, the several parts are easily stored in a very small space and may be easily and economically transported. It is also seen that there is a minimum of parts and that the parts are mounted very easily and require no or little mechanical skill in assembling.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. A detachable auxiliary table top adapted to be mounted to a table comprising, in combination, a plurality of section members, each of said section members having edges adapted to engage an edge of the adjoining section members, each of said section members having a flange portion extending from its adjoining edges, a plurality of grooved joining members having spaced walls, said groove being adapted to receive said flange portions, each said joining member being adapted to embrace said flange portions and to hold said section members together, and fastening means for attaching each of said joining members to said table.

2. A detachable auxiliary table top adapted to be mounted to the periphery of a table comprising, in combination, a plurality of section members, said section members being adapted to be joined end to end to form said auxiliary table top, each of said section members having a flange portion on its edges adjoining the adjacent section member, a plurality of grooved joining members, each of said joining members being adapted to receive and embrace said flange portions and to hold said section members together, and clamping means for attaching each of said joining members to said table.

3. The combination of a plurality of section members adapted to form an auxiliary table top extending from the peripheral portion of the top of a table, said section members being adapted to be joined end to end, and to rest upon the periphery of the top of said table and to extend therefrom, a flange portion extending from the adjoining edges of each said section member and adapted to abut the flange portion of the adjacent section member, said flange portions being provided with complementary bosses and recesses adapted to' interlock said flange portions together against parallel movement relative to each other,

aplurality of joining members, each said joining member having an elongated open space for receiving the abutting flange portions and having wall portions along the open space for engaging the flange portions so' that said flange portions are held together by said joining members, and clamping members mounted on each said joining member for clamping said joining members to said table.

4. The combination of a plurality of section members for forming an auxiliary table top extending from the peripheral portion of the top of a table, each of said section members having an inner portion engaging the peripheral portion of the top of said table and an outer portion extending laterally from said inner portion, each said section member having a pressed rib extending thereon for giving rigidity to said section member, a flange portion extending from the ends of each said section member, the flange portion of each section member being adapted to abut the flange portion of the adjoining section member, one of said abutting flange portions having a boss extending therefrom and the other of said abutting flange portions having a recess adapted to receive said boss so that said flange portions are locked against parallel movement relative to each other, a plurality of elongated members, each of said elongated members having a recess adapted to receive said abutting flange portions so that said flange portions are held in abutting position, each of said elongated members also having a hook portion adapted to embrace a portion of said table, and screw means for clamping said hook portion to said portion of the table so that the said elongated members are mounted tosaid table for supporting said section members.

5. The combination of a plurality of section members for forming an auxiliary table top extending from the peripheral portion of the top of a table, each ofsaid section members having an inner portion engaging the peripheral portion of the top of said table and an outer portion extending laterally from said inner portion, each said section member having a pressed rib extending thereon for giving rigidity to said section member, a flange portion extending from the ends of each said section members, the flange portion of each section member being adapted to abut the flange portion of the adjoining section member, one of said abutting flange portions having a boss extending therefrom and the other of said abutting flange portions having a recess adapted to receive said boss so that said flange portions are locked against parallel movement relative to each other, a plurality of elongated members, each of said longitudinal members having a recess adapted to receive said abutting flange portions so that said flange portions are held in abutting position, each said elongated members having a portion cut away to permit the said boss and recess to engage, each of said elongated members also having a hook portion adaptmembers are mounted to said table for supporting said section members.

6. The combination of a plurality of section members for forming an auxiliary table top extending from the peripheral portion of the top of a table, said table having straight sides and corners at the junction of said sides, each said section member having an inner portion adapted to rest upon the periphery of the top of said table but not to substantially cover the top of said table and having an outer portion extending laterally from said inner portion, each said section member having side portions extending at an angle to each other, said side portions being adapted to extend along two of the said straight sides of said table and to accommodate a said corner between said side portions, a flange portion extending from an end of each side portion, each said flange portion being adapted to abut a flange portion of the adjacent section member, and joining members adapted to hold said abutting flange portions, and means for connecting said joining members to each said straight side of said table intermediate of said corners.

'7. The combination of a plurality of section membersfor forming a round sided auxiliary table top extending outwardly from the peripheral portion of the top of a table, said table having straight sides and a corner at the junction of said sides, each said section member having an inner edge portion adapted to engage the periphery of the top of said table and having an outer portion extending laterally and outwardly from said inner portion, each said outer portion having wing portions disposed at an angle to each other, each wing portion being adapted to extend along a side of said table, each said section member being adapted to accommodate a corner of said table between said wing portions, the outer edges of said sectionmembers being rounded to form a round periphery on said section members assembled, means for fastening said section members together, and means for supporting said section members to said table.

8. A detachable auxiliary table top adapted to be mounted to the periphery of a table comprising, in combination, a plurality of section members adapted to be joined end to end to form said auxiliary table top, said section members having flange portions at said ends, detachable members having elongated openings adapted to receive the flange portions of said section members, said detachable members being adapted to embrace the adjoining flange portions for joining the adjoining flange portions togetherj'and clamping means for detachably mounting said detachable members to said table.

9. A detachable auxiliary table top adapted to be mounted to the peripheral portion of a table comprising, in combination, a plurality of section members, each of said section members having a portion adapted to engage the top of said table and having another portion adapted to extend from the top of said table, a plurality of supporting members having open spaces adapted to receive adjoining edge portions of the section members, said supporting members being adapted to embrace said adjoining edge portions and to hold said section members together and to support said section members, each of said supporting members having a portion adapted to engage said table, and means for detachably fastening each said portion of the supporting members to said table.

STEPHEN CJPRUS. 

